The case for and against gold

From Barrons.com: In the short run, gold can be a safe haven in a time of crisis. We don’t know what the next crisis will be, but we have seen plenty of “black swan” events over the past two years alone; our markets and our world seem increasingly hard-wired to experience periods of crisis and calm. In this sense, gold can be seen as a short-term hedge, or a short-term speculative play on volatility.
Some may say that we’re heading for a period of stability, but that’s hard to believe. The Fed is desperately trying to stimulate the economy. Housing prices remain weak. Unemployment remains high. On the political side, the Middle East has been far from stable in recent weeks……………………………………….Full Article: Source